Teen Leadership Council teams with Yellow Ribbon for successful youth program

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Anna-Marie Wyant
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
CHARLOTTE, N.C. --  Many Reserve Airmen live outside a daily commuting distance from their Reserve units. Some live hours away from any military installation, making their uniforms, deployments, and other military-related aspects of their lives seem very foreign to others in their hometowns. Additionally, Reserve families may live far from other military families, so when a Reservist is deployed, his or her family may feel alone--especially children. These are problems Air Force Reserve Command has not only noticed, but also addressed through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

AFRC's South Region YRP event in Charlotte Oct. 28-30 brought pre- and post-deployment Reservists and their families and friends together from Dobbins Air Force Base, Ga.; Tinker AFB, Okla.; Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.; Pope Field, N.C.; Lackland AFB, Texas; Barksdale AFB, La.; and Duke Field, Patrick AFB, and MacDill AFB, Fla., to learn about deployment-related benefits, attend breakout sessions tailored to their interests, and network with each other.

YRP was initiated by the Secretary of Defense and mandated by Congress in 2008 to provide information, services, referral and proactive outreach programs to Reservists and Guardsmen and their dependents through all phases of deployment cycles. The program's goals are to prepare service members and their families for mobilization, sustain families during mobilization, and reintegrate service members with their families and communities upon return from deployment.

Attendees with children were encouraged to bring them to the event and sign them up for the youth program, which separated the children into different age groups and had them participate in age-appropriate activities, including a "kids' deployment line," where children received "equipment" such as mini flashlights, camouflage hats, whistles, and other items for a fun "mission," and even visited mock medical, legal, and other stations. The activities are not only enjoyable, but they are also beneficial.

"It is important for Reservists' kids to interact with one another before and after deployments so they know other youth are dealing with the same issues as them," said Tech. Sgt. Carla Johnson, YRP representative for the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick, Davis-Monthan and Portland International Airport/Air Reserve Station, Ore. "They can learn coping skills from one another and build support systems to deal with the stressors of a deployment in a healthy way."

While the event had dedicated wing and AFRC YRP representatives and support staff, it also had extra help from the Air Force Reserve Teen Leadership Council, who came to participate in the youth program. The teens served as mentors for youth of all ages at YRP, worked on team-building exercises with the older kids, and played games with the younger kids. The TLC, which was created in 2010, is a nationwide group of AFR-dependent high school students who provide a youth perspective in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of AFR youth programs, said AFRC child youth specialist Brandi McGonagill.

"Before [the TLC], we felt like we didn't know what the teens needed," McGonagill said. "Now the teens are able to branch out and raise awareness about the Air Force Reserve in their communities across the nation."

According to the AFRC website, responsibilities of TLC members include: attending an annual TLC retreat where teens participate in public speaking workshops; providing input on current AFR youth programming and suggesting future programming ideas; receiving child and youth program training for YRP events; leading and assisting with child and youth programs at YRP events; participating in regularly scheduled conference calls and discussions; identifying and accomplishing at least one goal/project per year to strengthen AFR Youth Programs; speaking on behalf of AFR youth at special events; and serving as a resource for other AFR teens and families within their own communities. While this seems like a lot of work, TLC members believe it's worth it to participate in a good cause.

"The Teen Leadership Council program is a great way to meet people and help other military teens across the U.S.," said Andrew Maguire, a TLC member whose father is a Reservist in Massachusetts.

Maguire said he and his family live approximately two hours from the base where his father works, so there is little military, especially Reserve, understanding or involvement in his community--something he hopes to change during his time with TLC, which has given him many ideas for community outreach.

"I plan to give a speech [about the AFR] at my school, and put together a family fun day to raise awareness about the military in my community," he said. "It's good to find out what's going on in other states and other bases."

Maguire said his father, who has been in the military for more than 20 years--since before Maguire was born--has been on four deployments, each of which Maguire remembers. He said his experiences as a lifelong military dependent make him a good mentor for other military children, specifically children of Reservists. Maguire, who said his parents are very supportive of his involvement in TLC, said he enjoyed working with the YRP youth program and looks forward to attending another event.

For more information on Yellow Ribbon events, visit the AFRC YRP Facebook page.